The Cocktail Hour

Mix the gin, lemon juice and zest and ice together in a cocktail shaker (or a jug if you don’t have a shaker – small apartment living doesn’t really allow for things like cocktail shakers!). Strain and split between 2 glasses. Top with chilled champagne.

Berry Kir Royale

Strawberries (100g approx, hulled)

Ice

1 Lime – Zest

Champagne (300ml)

Raspberry Sauce

Large Handful of Raspberries (and a couple extra for garnish)

Place the strawberries, ice, lime zest and champagne into a blender and blitz.

Press the raspberries through a sieve into a bowl.

Place a raspberry in each glass, add the raspberry sauce and then fill the glass with the champagne and strawberry mixture.

Tip – this cocktail is also lovely with rosé champagne

So what are your favourite cocktails? Along with these two, I love a margarita, on the rocks with salt, I’m not sure anything comes close. The best margarita I have had was in The Peninsula Hotel in Tokyo in Peter: The Bar – this is somewhat unfortunate as its quite the journey from Ireland to get another one…some day…!